[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 16 (Thursday, February 26, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      FOREST HEALTH AND MANAGEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 1998

  Mr. SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, each fall, scores of people 
travel to the high country to witness the changing colors of Colorado's 
aspen trees. The changing leaves symbolize our state's diverse, scenic 
environment as well as its thriving economy. Sadly, a recent study by 
the Club 20 Research Foundation concludes that Colorado's aspen are at 
a risk due to years of mismanagement by the federal government.
  Club 20 was founded in 1953 by various individuals, counties, 
communities, businesses and associations in Western Colorado. This 
grass roots organization follows a broad range of issues and provides a 
valuable forum for considering the many complex and controversial 
issues facing our state. Club 20 exemplifies local involvement aimed at 
providing educational, environmental and economic benefits to our 
state. I applaud their efforts and their research and commend my 
colleagues to consider Club 20's findings.
  James Hubbard, Colorado's State Forester, warns that if the Forest 
Service continues to manage as they do presently, most of Colorado's 
aspen trees will disappear within the next forty to fifty years. 
According to the Forest Service, the average age of aspen in Western 
Colorado is between 90 and 110 years, well beyond the point at which 
they mature and begin to deteriorate. Unless the Forest Service adopts 
an aggressive management regime designed to restore the health of 
Colorado's aspen trees, our aspen stands will be lost due to disease, 
insect infestation and decay.
  Congress directed the Forest Service to manage forest lands for 
multiple use and sustained yields. Today, Forest Service practices show 
a disturbing trend towards a lack of active management. Unfortunately, 
those practices seem to be driven not by what is best for the forest, 
but by what group protests the loudest. That dynamic thwarts good 
policy and prohibits resource management.
  The federal government, which controls more than 70% of the land on 
Colorado's Western Slope, has neglected to manage for the health of our 
forests. Their neglect is unforgivable given the consensus among 
foresters that, without active management, aspen trees die off and fail 
to regenerate.
  The Forest Service and the Department of Interior advocate drastic 
increases in the use of prescribed burns as a management tool. While 
some advocate prescribed burns as a ``natural'' alternative to timber 
management, even proponents concede that prescribed burns fail to 
regenerate aspen stands, which do not burn easily. Moreover, prescribed 
burns have serious detrimental effects on air and water quality.
  Selective timber harvesting provides an effective alternative to 
prescribed burns. Small, patch-work timber cuts facilitate the 
regeneration of aspen stands, provide economic benefits to the state, 
and enhance wildlife habitat without detrimental effects on air and 
water quality. Selective cuts of less than 40 acres allow for the 
regeneration of aspen trees without replanting. Responsible, well-
planned cuts diversify forest ecosystems while leaving many large, 
standing aspens, and providing valuable habitat for wildlife, including 
many threatened and endangered species.
  Timber management requires access to stands in need of regeneration. 
Unfortunately, the Clinton Administration advocates a ``no access'' 
policy to a large portion of our public lands. Well over 34 million 
acres of our public lands could be off-limits to access for recreation 
and management under the Administration's proposed forest 
transportation policy. That decline is particularly disturbing in light 
of the Clinton Administration's plans to sever a vital link between 
local communities and their forests by discontinuing timber-based 
revenues for schools and roads in favor of a formula developed by the 
federal government.
  There are more aspen trees in Colorado than any other state. Aspen 
are symbolic of the changing seasons in a state that prides itself on a 
strong economy, a good quality of life, and an appreciation for the 
out-of-doors. National forests in Colorado account for not only the 
production of timber but for a large part of the state's economic 
benefit from recreation and tourism.
  The Forest Service's de facto policy of reducing harvests, increasing 
the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and deteriorating forest health is 
unacceptable. It is time for the Forest Service to manage the forests 
as Congress directed it to for multiple use and sustained yields. Such 
a policy is best for the health of our forests and for the vitality of 
our state.
  Mr. Speaker, I am working closely with my colleagues on the House 
Resources Committee and the Subcommittee on Forests and Forests Health 
to ensure that the Forest Service and the Administration hear 
Colorado's message loud and clear. On February 25th, the subcommittee 
conducted oversight hearings on the Administration's roadless area 
moratorium. There, we considered testimony from county commissioners, 
forestry experts and Forest Service officials on the issue of access to 
public lands. On March 26th, we will hold another hearing before the 
House Resources, Budget and Appropriations Committees into the 
operations, budgeting and management of the Forest Service. There, with 
my colleagues, I hope to examine better management alternatives and 
push for positive change. Proper management of our national forests can 
provide habitat for wildlife as well as recreational and economic 
resources for America.

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